Glendonach is one of the rising stars in the hearts of whisky fans as it’s gaining a positive image, brand recognition and of course lot of admirers and whisky fans.

The core line up of sherried whiskies, along with the successful single casks batches were the reason for this success but Glendronach also dabble in other casks finishes, using casks with whisky that was distilled before the distillery was mothballed in 1996. The old sherry casks were used for the single cask releases and the premium releases (recherche and grandeur comes to mind), but what of the other casks? This is where the wood finish series play its role.

We’ve reviewed other members of the wood finish series (12 yo Sauternes, 15/18yo Port) and now it’s the 19 Year Old Madeira finish which was aged in European oak and then has been finished in Madeira hogsheads before bottled at 46% for total yield of 3,111 bottles.

Glendronach 19 Year Old Madeira Cask Finish (46%, €145)

Nose: Rich pastry and tart dough, very creamy, a bit nutty, cooked barley, underlying suppressed volcanic eruption of spices, ginger, pepper, a dash of pears and apricots, lots of green apples peels, It’s very green with added mild citrus and very tarty. Over time gets some flowers fragrance edge.

Palate: Ginger a bit of cinnamon, tart dough, nuts, oak spices, bitter green apples peels coated in barley sugar, citrus and cooked barley.

Finish: Medium finish with lingering mild spiciness of ginger, cinnamon, green apples.

Thoughts: It’s not your average Glendronach, and is quite unique. I needed a few days to adjust my perception of this whisky as the rich flavors here are so different from the usual Glendronach bottlings I’m use to encounter. But the bottom line is that it’s a rich, fine and mature whisky, just don’t expect sherry goodness here. Another good release from Glendronach and no wonder it flew off the shelves in the major whisky markets.